Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
CHAPTER
2
SURVEY OF MASS SPECTROMETRY-BASED
HIGH-THROUGHPUT METHODS IN FOOD ANALYSIS
LUKAS VACLAVIK, TOMAS CAJKA, WANLONG ZHOU, and
PERRY G. WANG
2.1
INTRODUCTION
Mass spectrometry (MS) and hyphenated chromatographic techniques have been
subjects of dramatic developments, resulting in the introduction of newer tools for the
analysis of diverse food components previously separated using either gas chroma-
tography (GC) or liquid chromatography (LC). In most cases, the analysis time is
reduced by faster chromatographic separations combined with more selective and
sensitive mass spectrometers. In addition, many laboratories place great emphasis on
streamlining sample preparation by simplifying or omitting impractical, laborious,
and time-consuming steps.
In addition to these chromatography-based approaches, a large number of direct
MS techniques have become available. Their main advantages compared with conven-
tional techniques (GC
MS) include the possibility of direct sample
examination, minimal or no sample preparation requirements, and remarkably high
sample throughput.
In this chapter, recent advances in the rapid analysis of food components employing
MS as a primary detection tool (both with and without chromatographic separation) are
discussed with the emphasis on high sample throughput.
-
MS and LC
-
2.2 TECHNIQUES EMPLOYING CHROMATOGRAPHIC SEPARATION
2.2.1 Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry
In food analysis, GC is one of the key separation techniques for many volatile and
semivolatile compounds. The separation power combined with a wide range of
detectors, including MS, makes GC an important tool in the determination of various
components in food crops and products.
